Wongema

What Wongema does

Wongema operates a multi-functional rural hospitality venue at Tammingastraat 58 in Hornhuizen, Groningen, Netherlands, in a converted village café opposite the local church near the Wadden Sea dike. The venue integrates a café and restaurant, accommodation (single and double rooms, an 11-bed dormitory sleeping loft, a private barn sleeping up to 11, and a small tent camping pitch), coworking facilities, and a year-round cultural programming calendar. It serves local residents from Hornhuizen and the surrounding Hogeland region, regional visitors from Groningen city (~30 minutes away), leisure tourists exploring the Wadden Sea and Lauwersmeer area, remote workers and freelancers seeking rural workspace, and cultural event attendees drawn to festivals such as Tussen Wènst en Wereld, Warm Nest, Aardappelfeest, and Zomerpension.

The venue's revenue is generated across six streams: accommodation (€35-€95/night tiers), food and beverage (€15 breakfast buffet, €22.50 daily dinner, à la carte café service), ticketed events and concerts (€5-€27.50 per ticket), venue and barn rental (€750-€1,250 for midweek or weekend private hire), membership subscriptions across four tiers (Aanwaaier €40, Buur €45, Wongemaat €65, Organisation €150 annually), and ancillary services such as pool table rental (€5/hour). Distribution is entirely direct: walk-ins to the café, email-based accommodation bookings, an external ticketing platform (shop.ikbenaanwezig.nl), online membership enrollment forms, and email-based venue hire enquiries. Marketing relies on organic social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), a newsletter, Radio Wongema podcast content, and word-of-mouth through the cooperative membership.

Wongema is organized as a Dutch vereniging (association/cooperative), formally incorporated in spring 2024 after founder Erik Wong transitioned the operation from a sole proprietorship of approximately ten years to community ownership, with the building purchased via contributions from local supporters. Governance rests with a three-person board (Eef Prins, Peter Scholten, Marnix Bloemberg), supported by ~6 staff, a large volunteer base, freelance workers (zzp'ers), and an independent confidential advisor (Louis Gussenhoven). The organization has no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed funding rounds, and no venture backing; its operating model is anchored in community ownership, local supplier partnerships (dairy, vegetables, potatoes, fish, bread, coffee, cider, beer), and institutional collaborations with Erfgoed in Groningen, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, and Hanzehogeschool Groningen.

Name

Wongema

Legal name

Wongema

Website

https://wongema.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wongema is a rural Dutch cooperative hospitality venue in Hornhuizen, Groningen, operating a café, restaurant, accommodation, coworking space, and cultural event programming for local residents, regional visitors, leisure tourists, and remote workers under the Wij zijn Wongema association.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural community hospitality and cultural venue

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (722310), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFADAJ

Coworking Cafes / Work Cafes

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Cafes & Coffee Shops

SECONDARYMPAGAEAF

Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Cultural Festivals & Community Events

SECONDARYTHAHAKAN

Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Catering & Banqueting Services for Events

SECONDARYTHAHAKAL

Concessions, Pop-Ups & Temporary Foodservice for Events

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Catering & Banqueting Services for Events

Keywords

• Rural hospitality venue
• Café restaurant services
• Cultural event programming
• Community coworking space
• Group accommodation rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Hornhuizen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Accommodation: Wongema earns revenue from overnight stays across multiple room types and dormitory/sleeping loft accommodations. Peak capacity during Zomerpension (Summer Pension) and Winterpension when the venue is open 24/7.
2. Food & Beverage: Café sales, à la carte dining, monthly Wongemaaltijd dinners, breakfast buffets, and event catering (pizza nights, lunches, dinners). Revenue is generated per transaction for meals and drinks.
3. Events & Ticketed Activities: Ticketed concerts, festivals, workshops, and special programming events. Revenue from ticket sales (e.g., Broeder Dieleman €17.50, EirFoyl €12.50, Peter Piek €10, work week day passes €27.50, TWW festival day ticket €27.50).
4. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from four tiers: Aanwaaier (€40/yr), Wongemaat (€65/yr), Buur (€45/yr), and Organisation (€150/yr). Provides a recurring revenue base and network/fundamental support for the association's operations.
5. Venue & Coworking Rental: Revenue from renting the café, Schuur (barn), or the entire building for private events, workshops, yoga retreats, and corporate off-sites. The Schuur can also be booked for midweek (3 nights, €1,250) or weekend (2 nights) private use, sleeping up to 11.
6. Pool Table & Recreation: Pool table rental at €5 per hour (or €2.50 per half hour) for café visitors and overnight guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wongema is a community-operated rural hospitality venue in Hornhuizen, Groningen, that runs the Wongema Kafé (a café and restaurant) together with multi-format accommodation, cultural event programming, and seasonal work-and-stay residency weeks. It sells food and drink on-site, rents individual rooms, a dormitory, a converted barn, and camping pitches, hosts concerts, festivals, and textile-arts workshops for roughly 60 to 120 attendees, and offers venue hire to groups. The operation is sustained by a four-tier member association (Volunteer, Guest-member, Friend, Organisation-member) at €25 per year and a long-tenured inkeeping team.

Product overview

Wongema is a multi-functional hospitality venue in Hornhuizen, Groningen, offering a café/restaurant, accommodation (single rooms, double rooms, dormitory loft, barn, and mini-camping), and venue rental for meetings and events. The venue operates seasonal programs including the Zomerpension (summer) and Winterpension (winter), and hosts recurring events like the monthly Wongemaaltijd dinner, Nestwarmte textile craft gatherings, Aardappelfeest, and the annual Warm Nest textile festival. Additional offerings include coworking (Werkdag Wednesday and multi-day Werkweeks), Radio Wongema community radio, and various landscape and community festivals. The business operates as a cooperative association with multiple membership tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Radio Wongema: A radio show and podcast initiative covering events in and around Wongema, hosted by Erik Wong and Bertien Minco.
• Nestwarmte
• Warm Nest
• Stekjesmarkt

Products and services

• Wongema Kafé (café and restaurant) On-site café and restaurant in Hornhuizen, Groningen, serving food and beverages to walk-in guests, day visitors, and event attendees as part of Wongema's hospitality offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Work week day pass with lunch and coffee/fruit starts at €27.50 — competitive compared to commercial coworking spaces
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and flagship.

• BOTMASsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOTMAS provides frozen bio and regenerative meals (deep-frozen 'diepvriesmaaltijden') that allow Wongema to serve food even when no kitchen staff is present, such as for last-minute or late arrivals. This enables Wongema to maintain its 'always open for guests' philosophy.
• LandgoudsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of grain and berry juice to Wongema's café.
• WaddenmaxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal dairy supplier providing dairy products for Wongema's café and restaurant. Also an organisational member of Wij Zijn Wongema.
• WesterssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of potatoes for Wongema's kitchen and restaurant.
• Goede VisserssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFish supplier providing fresh fish for Wongema's menu.
• EikemaheertsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of apple cider/cider for Wongema's beverage offering.
• EemstuinsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of vegetables for Wongema's restaurant. Also provides surprise-me salads for pizza nights during Zomerpension.
• KoffiestationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of freshly roasted coffee from Groningen for Wongema's café.
• Bakkerij PeterssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of bread and baked goods for Wongema's café and restaurant.
• GulpenersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of organic beer from the other end of the Netherlands.
• Hot SoupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of tea for Wongema's café.
• Roze BunkersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of lemonade syrup for Wongema's café.
• Erfgoed in GroningenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of the Tussen Wènst en Wereld (TWW) landscape art festival in Hornhuizen. One of the four institutional partners (alongside RUG, Hanze, and Wongema) behind this annual festival celebrating landscape as inspiration for art, science, food, music, film, and literature.
• RUG (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of the Tussen Wènst en Wereld (TWW) landscape art festival. Provides academic researchers and scientists for the festival's science programming sessions.
• Hanze (Hanzehogeschool Groningen)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organiser of the Tussen Wènst en Wereld (TWW) landscape art festival. Contributes academic perspective and student involvement.
• Galerie Gewaagd / TallycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallery space used for the Warm Nest festival's lecture/interview programme and for Radio Wongema recordings during the event. The café gallery space hosts conversations with makers, brewers, and connectors during textile events.
• Fonds CultuurparticipatiesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural participation fund that co-funded the Tussen Wènst en Wereld (TWW) festival, enabling the event's broad programming.
• Landscape CollectedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiator and co-organiser of Weekendje Heg, a landscape event held at Wongema exploring hedgerows and their ecological and cultural significance in the Hornhuizen area. The program is shaped by participants themselves.
• Warm Nest / NestwarmtecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNestwarmte is a monthly textile working community (second Sunday, 10:00–16:00) held at Wongema, organized by the local community. Warm Nest is the annual textile festival held at Wongema (April) featuring workshops, markets, lectures, and the 'Garendoosje van Vincent van Gogh' color workshop by Loret Karman. It is a flagship cultural event for the venue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stayokay: Dutch hostel chain with multiple locations including rural sites, offering budget dormitory-style accommodation and group bookings. Comparable to Wongema as a Dutch budget accommodation provider, though without Wongema's cultural programming and cooperative model.

Direct peers

• Pllek: Amsterdam-Noord based multi-functional venue combining café, restaurant, events, and coworking in a converted shipping-container complex. Similar to Wongema in its integration of F&B, creative programming, and workspace under one roof, though urban rather than rural.
• Roepaen Podium: Heritage farm venue in Posterholt (Limburg) operating as concert hall, theatre, and cultural event space with dining. Comparable to Wongema as a rural cultural venue programming concerts and events with food and beverage.
• De School: Amsterdam multidisciplinary venue combining café, restaurant, club, exhibition space, and cultural programming. Comparable to Wongema as a venue where food, music, and creative community intersect, though in an urban setting.
• Villa Augustus: Former water tower complex in Dordrecht operating as hotel, restaurant, and cultural venue with gardens, exhibitions, and event programming. Comparable to Wongema as a heritage venue combining hospitality with cultural programming and community engagement.
• Kloosterhotel ZIN: Monastery hotel in Vught offering rooms, restaurant, and meeting/event facilities in a heritage setting. Comparable to Wongema as a hybrid hospitality venue combining accommodation, dining, and event hosting in a distinctive non-hotel setting.
• Buitengoed De Panoven: Rural event and overnight venue near Venlo combining rooms, restaurant, and conference/event facilities. Comparable to Wongema as a Limburg rural venue offering accommodation, food, and event hosting.
• Camping De Lievelinge: Recreation park and camping in Enspijk (Gelderland) with accommodation, restaurant, and event programming. Comparable to Wongema in offering rural accommodation alongside a broader hospitality and event proposition.
• Landgoed Rhederoord: 14th-century estate in Brummen offering hotel rooms, restaurant, and event venue for meetings, weddings, and cultural programming. Comparable to Wongema as a rural Dutch estate combining accommodation, dining, and event hosting.

Regional players

• Landgoed Het Hooihuis: Small-scale rural hotel and event venue in Wagenborgen (Groningen), offering rooms, dining, and meeting facilities in a similar North Netherlands setting. Comparable to Wongema as a regional rural hospitality venue in the same province.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/169kg4qmhY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wongemagroningen
• Instagraminstagram.com/wongemagroningen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wongema